The present invention relates to cable lockout assemblies, and more particularly to a cable lockout assembly that can accommodate cables of different diameters.
It is often desirable to secure various components of an apparatus in a single locked orientation. For example, many factories will include a plurality of large gate valves for controlling high pressure fluid or gas. Manufacturing processes may require ON, OFF, or partially ON gate valves and, improperly adjusted valves may either damage or destroy factory machinery, adversely affect manufacturing processes, or cause safety problems. Other applications where apparatus are advantageously locked in a single orientation include vehicle steering wheels while vehicles are parked, large circuit breakers and cylindrical gas tanks that are often stored in factories, hospitals and restaurants, to name a few.
In each of these applications, the industry has devised various locking mechanisms. One particular mechanism includes a cable and a cable locking mechanism whereby one cable end is secured to the mechanism and the other cable end can be fixed relative to the mechanism forming a loop. Mechanisms using this technique can provide a tight locking loop and, because a long cable can be provided to accommodate any size requirements, these mechanisms are versatile.
The particular size, i.e. diameter, of the cable used with the cable locking mechanism is typically determined by the application in which the cable and locking mechanism is used. In an application in which the cable must pass through small holes, a small cable diameter, such as 0.125 inches or less, may be desired. In other applications, where there is a concern that the cable may be cut by an unauthorized user, a large cable diameter, such as 0.25 inches or more, may be desired.
In order to provide the proper clamping force on the cable, known locking mechanisms are designed for a single cable size. If an undersized cable is used in a locking mechanism, the clamping force exerted on the cable by the locking mechanism may be insufficient to properly secure the cable relative to the locking mechanism. Likewise, if an oversized cable is forced through a locking mechanism the clamping mechanism may not be able to properly clamp onto the cable, or the cable mechanism may be damaged. Thus, it would be advantageous to have a cable locking mechanism that can accommodate various sizes of cable.